Opinion: Zara Godfrey
Zara Godfrey, managing director of frozen fruit brand Pukpip, offers her views on why retailers should look to their frozen space to drive sales.
Once just a handy space to house tubs of ice cream and the odd pack of peas, the freezer has now become an important gateway to eating high quality and great tasting, freshly frozen food, whilst keeping a closer eye on household waste and saving money.
Not surprisingly, the cost of living crisis has played a key role in changing the landscape of frozen food, with more and more shoppers looking to treat themselves with dine-at-home options rather than eat out and, simultaneously, freezers offering a larger, more premium range of products.
And while consumers are continuing to prioritize their health and wellbeing, the value, quality and convenience of frozen food has also played a huge part in its rising popularity over the past few years — and given shoppers a greater reason to not only venture down the frozen aisles, but keep returning to them too.
All that together with frozen food leading to significantly less household waste has contributed to impressive double-digit growth — more than 15% — for the frozen category over the past year according to Kantar, as savvy shoppers switch up their habits and look to the freezers for their food options.
What’s more, the number of people buying frozen food has increased by almost 1% year-on-year, with frozen food now being used in almost 800 million more meals compared to five years ago.
At Pukpip, we’re especially excited to see a growing number of people looking for healthier versions of their favourite treats as well as new and more delicious ways to squeeze more fruit into their diets, and what this means for the indulgent frozen fruit category.
Already, the indulgent frozen fruit category is worth over $300 million in the US and is quickly gaining momentum here in the UK too, with a recent report valuing it at £2 million and growing.
“Frozen food has increased by almost 1% year-on-year, with frozen food now being used in almost 800 million more meals compared to five years ago.”
So, how can stores use their freezer space to capitalize on the category’s growth and capture additional sales?
First, stores must look at the products themselves. Whether a store has one freezer or a whole aisle of freezers, it’s important to ensure they’re filled with the right solutions — these being frozen options that deliver on nutrition and convenience without compromising on taste.
Meeting this multiple-demand for healthier, more convenient choices and great tasting food brings challenges, but Pukpip has made it a priority to meet consumer needs by developing the UK’s first range of dark, white and milk chocolate-dipped frozen banana sticks, as well as frozen banana bites dipped in dark chocolate or peanut butter. Not only do our products come in convenient formats, but they allow consumers to treat themselves whilst feeling good about their choices and getting more fruit into their diets. Our frozen treats are upcycled using bananas that would otherwise be thrown away by producers for having small imperfections, and frozen when they reach the perfect taste and ripeness, locking in useful vitamins and minerals when they’re at their peak. They also contain less calories than traditional ice cream options and don’t contain anything artificial, instead offering a real fruit alternative — in fact, we like to say they’re nature’s alternative to ice cream.
Second, stores must look at how their products are presented. Historically, frozen aisles have been uninspiring, especially compared to what’s been brought to life in ambient and fresh.
Brands themselves are already aware of the importance of eye-catching packaging to drive sales. Pukpip’s own branding has been designed to stand out on shelf and appeal to health-conscious consumers who are looking for healthier alternatives to traditional ice cream.
Attractive and appealing merchandising is equally important to encourage shoppers to venture into a store’s frozen food section in the first place, as well as making sure the section is in a highly visible location.
What’s more, pairing complimentary categories together presents the opportunity to upsell specific moments and occasions like The Big Night In, which remains popular among shoppers. Pukpip has leaned into this by offering choices that can be enjoyed as part of a consumer’s everyday life, as well as specific moments including but not limited to a girls’ night in, post-workout, afternoon pick-me-up and a family garden picnic or dessert when easily paired with products from other categories.
By similarly positioning frozen options front of mind for specific occasions and pairing them with products from other categories in-store, retailers will actively create opportunities to capture additional sales from a market that has grown enormously over the past few years, and shows no sign of slowing down in the future.
By Zara Godfrey, managing director, Pukpip